The detention of a Russian tanker captain in a suspected oil smuggling case is the latest example of a growing global trend of criminalising seafarers, according to a union.
Alexey Smaznov was arrested on 28 February by authorities in Albania after his ship, the 37,500-dwt Grace Felix (built 2008), was held over alleged forged paperwork related to a ship-to-ship transfer of suspected Russian oil off the coast of Greece.
The Seafarers’ Union of Russia (SUR), which represents 77,000, members said the case was another “dramatic example of the criminalisation of seafarers which happens more and more often all over the world”.
It added: “In this particular case, the problem came due to the lack of a document which proves the origin of cargo.”
An Albanian court ruled last week that Smaznov should remain in detention while an investigation continues into the origin of more than 180,000 barrels of oil on board the ship.
The Grace Felix remains off the port of Durres with the rest of the 22-strong crew whose passports have been confiscated, according to SUR based on local media reports.
Kpler data showed that the oil was loaded onto the Grace Felix in a ship-to-ship transfer around 11 February off Kalamata, Greece, before travelling to Albania. It has been off Durres since 14 February, according to tracking data.
Smaznov had a contract with technical manager Cymare Shipmanagement, which has hired a lawyer to try to secure his freedom, said SUR.
It said that no charges have been brought against Smaznov but he remains held on suspicion of smuggling. SUR said it was considering bringing up the case to the International Maritime Organization.
The wider issue was raised at the legal committee of the global body last month after a series of high-profile cases, including the continuing detention of the 26-strong crew of the Heroic Idun, a VLCC detained by Nigeria over oil smuggling allegations.
The detentions have been criticised by shipping bodies, insurers, the ship’s owners, its charterer and unions but they remain under armed guard on board the ship pending a trial.
Startling rise
A 2019 survey by the Nautilus Federation found that almost 90% of seafarers feared criminalisation at work. The union said that the number of cases in which seafarers had been detained worldwide had been “increasing at a startling rate”.
Albania’s maritime authorities said the prosecutor’s office in Durres had detained the ship for “reasons that have not been disclosed to us”.
It said that the crew was in good condition but the ship’s release could only be approved by the prosecutor’s office.
“We have no information if the ship will be released and when it might happen,” said Tomor Harizi, the deputy general director of the Albanian government’s maritime directorate.
Albania is not a member of the European Union, which has imposed an import ban and price cap on Russian crude and oil products, but was one of the first countries to impose its own sanctions.
Albanian police said that the Liberian-flag ship was held following intelligence that emerged from a series of operations into oil smuggling from Libya.
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) inspector Milko Kronja said Smaznov had not been given information about any potential trial.
He said that the general ITF view was that the crew was seldom responsible for sanctions breaches because their actions were directed by the owner or charterer.
